![]() There, a society of female mages called the Priory worships the Mother. In the South, an entirely different way of thinking exists. They forge a connection with humans by taking riders. These dragons channel the power of water and are said to be born of stars. In the East, dragons are worshiped as gods-but not the fire-breathing type. These events brought about the current order: Virtudom, the kingdom set up by Berethnet, is a pious society that considers all dragons evil. The leader of these creatures, the Nameless One, has been trapped in the Abyss for ages after having been severely wounded by the sword Ascalon wielded by Galian Berethnet. Here, evil takes the shape of fire-breathing dragons-beasts that feed off chaos and imbalance-set on destroying humankind. No, the Nameless One is not a new nickname for Voldemort. On the whole, though, the world of each story and the lyrical quality of the writing itself are more compelling than the collection’s few shortcomings.Īn engaging collection that takes on the love and loneliness lurking in the bright lights and shadowed corners of the everyday.Īfter 1,000 years of peace, whispers that “the Nameless One will return” ignite the spark that sets the world order aflame. There are a few other stories that feel as though they miss their emotional marks as well the pedantic tendencies of the narrator in “In the Heart of the Empire” become the pedantic tendencies of the story itself, which lags. The latter of these is explored most obviously and somewhat ham-handedly in “Brightest Corners,” which takes the form of “missed connections” posted on Craigslist. There are other themes also woven through the collection-how the objects that populate our lives can define us, for example, or the made and missed connections between strangers in big cities. The most engaging and emotionally powerful story in the collection, “All Those Stairs,” covers two-on the surface uneventful-days in the life of a subway station elevator operator. ![]() This is not to say, however, that Stalcup relies on the strange or uncanny to explore human loneliness. The estrangement these characters feel from their own lives is heightened by the bizarre situations that develop around them-things are rarely what they seem to be. We meet an exotic dancer who performs sexual favors for certain clients, a woman who wails professionally at funerals, and a man who helps people write more effective suicide notes. Stalcup’s stories introduce us to a variety of characters, many of whom we get to know through their frequently unusual professions. Debut author Stalcup’s short story collection takes a look at what is gained and, more often, lost through the not-so-simple act of living. ![]()
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